Taco Tuesday Home Buffet, Not Tacos

My daughter and I made an arrangement whereby she’d come to my apartment on Tuesday, we’d have a lovely homemade dinner while watching Monday night’s DVRd version of So You Think You Can Dance, a show we both love for the fantastic choreography and skilled dancers while objecting to comments unfavorable by some judge who isn’t Mary Murphy. We both have superior judging skills!

Taco chicken, chipotle mash, Ceasar with cukes, fresh mango

I’d intended to make the taco-seasoned chicken, red bell pepper and onion plus the chipotle mashed potatotes into a Taco Tuesday Shepherd’s Pie, but it was 85 degrees inside the apartment and no thanks to oven adding heat to 250 square feet. Instead: deconstructed! Right there on the plate! Each bite and each palate changer an individual decision without missing a dance move. (We did not prefer cheese this time, but it would have had a place in the pie.) Leftovers: yum, bubble-and-squeak Taco Wednesday and Thursday lunches. Also, it’s mango season and mmm-m.

Brief update: I realized upon reviewing the above posts that I’d never credited a restaurant in the University District of Seattle for their creamy and deliciously spicy chili mashed potatoes. The Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club, sitting at the edge of the lake, rents kayaks and accoutrements for some water fun and provides a superb menu of fresh Southwestern-flavored cuisine, including smoked salmon tacos, my favorite. I don’t know their recipe for the mashed delight, but my chipotle mash was inspired by their offering so this is a bit of virtual gratitude.